Through personal short stories detailing her shattered rite of passage into a continuing quest for peace, McDonald takes the reader through her painful childhood and scarred past.

McDonald shares her memories as a child in an abusive household openly and simply, with a deft touch that draws the reader right into the drama. The young girl’s dreary world in a West Virginia town in the 1950s comes to vibrant life for readers. Several family photos accompany the text to enhance the images in the reader’s mind.

Having watched her father abuse her mother, McDonald is devastated to later witness the mental breakdown of her mother. The fear, shame and grief is palpable as she recounts the day her mother was carried out of the family’s home in a straitjacket – a day that would haunt McDonald for years.

The stories also depict McDonald’s adulthood when, as a wife and mother, she continues to struggle with and work through the problems of her upbringing.

McDonald says the memories came flooding back to her as she sat down to write and she hopes the stories resonate with readers, carrying them through their difficulties.

About the Author
Jeannette McDonald married her husband, Monte, when he was on leave from the Air Force in Paris. Jeannette now lives in Columbus, Ohio. “The Girl from Gladden Street” is her first book.

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